Bug Out Bag Basics: How to be ready to leave your house in a hurry.

What Is a Bug Out Bag:

The term “bug out” originated in the military as a slang term for a rapid retreat from a combat zone. Adopted into the civilian world “bug out” has a very similar meaning, but you would replace “combat zone” with any number of other emergency situations. The emergency situations could range from natural disasters, such as wildfires, floods, blizzards, hurricanes, etc, or man made disasters such as chemical spills, civil unrest, etc, or even inconveniences like extended power outages that may simply be unpleasant to stay home through. Bug out bags are also known by other terms such as Go Bag, GOOD bag (Get Out Of Dodge), emergency kit, evac bag, as well as a 72 hour kit, but the idea behind these terms are all very similar.

I want to start with a disclaimer. This is your bag, that you are building for you, and you will not be able to prepare for everything. You’re going to have to make some decisions about what level you want to take things to as well as how much you want to spend, in both time and money (You can make a functional go bag without too much money). The ultimate goal is to have a bag prepared for most emergencies that will not only help you stay alive, but also keep you comfortable and healthy.

When building a bug out bag the recommended type of bag used is generally a backpack, a hiking or rugged backpack vs a stylish backpack, with duffle type bags also used, and for those who may not be able to carry bags due to age or illness even a rolling bag has been recommended. There’s a good chance you’ll need to carry this for some distance, which is why the backpack style is recommended, and why you should consider weight when building a bag. The bag should be stored somewhere easily accessible, with the main recommendations being a front closet, your vehicle or garage, or under a bed.

Your Bug Out Bag Checklist:

Minimum Recommended Items:

Go through this checklist for each person that you will be accountable for. If this includes other adults or older children it’s recommended that you bring them into the planning and preparation themselves and let them check off their own list. This is a list of items that most people already have in their house, and can easily use to create their first go bag.

Prescription medications, also consider extra glasses or contacts. (Include copies of your prescriptions)
Non prescription medications. Recommended are pain relievers, anti-diarrheals, and antacids, or other medications that apply to your situation.
Water. 1 gallon per person is recommended, and additional for pets.
Food. 1 day of non perishable, ready to eat or minimal preparation required. Pet food if applicable, and can opener if applicable.
Personal hygiene kits, feminine supplies and hand sanitizer.
Important documents, including copies of ID.
Spending money (cash).
Change of clothing, usually planning on clothes suitable for your coldest time of year.
First Aid Kit.
Paper, Pencil, Tape, to leave messages.
Flashlight with extra batteries.
Instant formula and diapers if applicable.
Books, games, comfort items for children.
Pocket knife, or multi-tool.

Taking your bag to the next level:

The list above might keep you more comfortable in a lot of situations, but it’s not really considered a complete go bag. This next list is also recommended to be carried in your go bag, but it may be items that you may not have around the house.

Matches (in waterproof container), lighter, or other fire starter.
Copy of your home and vehicle keys.
Water filter, or water purification tablets.
Additional food (3 days per person)
Important personal items, e.g. USB drive with family photos.
Printed out reference material.
Local Maps.
Mess kit. Cooking / eating utensils.
Sleeping Bag, blankets, or at least emergency blankets.
Cell phone charger.
Battery bank to charge cell phones in case of no electricity.
Emergency whistle (to signal for help)
Dust masks (N95 masks)
Duct tape and plastic sheeting (to create a passable shelter)
Portable radio (battery powered, hand crank)
Sunblock and insect repellant.
Paracord, or other rope.
Can opener.
Ponchos.
Hats / bandannas.
Emergency candles.
Shovel / hatchet.
Defensive items – Gun, Pepper Spray, Taser.
Portable cooking stove and fuel.
Hiking shoes
Wool socks.
Toilet paper.

A Deeper Dive:

Water:

Water is probably going to be one of your biggest needs. Cold weather may be the most immediate threat for some people, but water will be the biggest need for most people in an emergency, and one of the heavier items to prepare for. The general recommendation for water is that you have a gallon a day, and the recommendation for a bug out bag is that you carry three days supplies. A gallon of water weighs just over 8 pounds, so three gallons would weigh over 24 pounds. That’s a lot to carry, and more if you need to carry water for children who can’t carry it for themselves, or pets. Carrying that much water would also take up a tremendous amount of space. You don’t need to drink a gallon of water a day to survive, however depending on the type of food you pack you may need water for it, which is why the recommendation sits at a gallon a day. Most non-perishable food either comes in a can, or is generally dry and will require water to prepare.

If you’re in an area that has access to water sources that you would normally not drink from, such as rivers, streams, or lakes, you can use a water filter to provide safe drinking water. Alternatively you can also use water purification tablets, or chemical treatments, or boiling water. The advantages a filter has over boiling and purification is that it also removes particulates that can be unpleasant to drink. The water purification tablets and boiling have an advantage in packing space, but a good portable filter can be quite small and light, and is a good recommendation. You can also find filters that attach to your home water faucets that can also be used if you’re faced with water boil advisories.

Food:

Food is another category where you need to make some decisions. You should be using non perishable items in your food supply, things that can store for years. This usually limits you to dried items, canned items, or specialty items like MREs or hiking food. If you go with canned items make sure you’re packing a can opener. If you go with dried items, some recommendations include basic items like oatmeal, ramen noodles, or similar items, you need to plan your water usage around that, as well as making sure that you’ve got some sort of mess kit to cook items in, and the means to cook with. A portable stove, or a buddy burner, will work, you can also build your own fire. If you plan on building your own fire, keep in mind that you’ll need a flat surface to place your mess kit or pan. In a pinch you can build one out of rocks or empty cans, although this can require some tools.

Sometimes it’s just easier to go with food that requires no preparation. Storing some peanut butter and granola bars offers a quick way to get some food without any preparation, and beef jerky is a staple in nearly every go bag. MREs can be a good fit as well, although truth be told most of them you will want to at least heat up (which can be done without a mess kit for those in need)

Hygiene Kit:

You can create your own hygiene kit, or find a travel kit online that contains the essentials you’ll need. One recommendation that I have if you’re creating your own is to store all of the liquid or consumable type items in a ziploc style bag in case there are any leaks. You’ll also want to go small, you’re not going to need full bottles of shampoo or mouthwash, travel size bottles are perfect for your go bag. I would make a checklist of items for this as well, making sure to pack toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, washcloth, shampoo, nail clippers, feminine sanitary products, lotion, lip balm, mouthwash, comb, and a razor and cream if applicable (I think you can probably do without the razor for a bit)

Documentation:

It’s recommended that you make copies of many of your important documents and store them in a water proof pouch. Most important is copies of your ID, like your passport or Driver License, and a printed out page that includes the phone numbers and addresses of your loved ones. Also recommended is that you carry copies of your credit cards, copies of your insurance policy (as well as photos of your home before the disaster), copies of birth certificates and even important medical records, and even a copy of your will. It’s also recommended that you store recent pictures of your family, for identification purposes, in the event you’re separated. Store these items, and some cash and even USB drive with personal keepsakes, in a water proof pouch tucked away in your go bag.

First Aid:

My recommendation would be to purchase a portable first aid kit online. You can generally get them fairly cheap, and they will contain most everything you need. The quality of the kits is generally pretty good, although their scissors and tweezers are often lacking. If you would like to create your own first aid kit you’re welcome to do so, though you will probably find it to be more expensive than pre-made kits. I found a checklist from beready.utah.gov that recommends: rubber disposable gloves, adhesive bandage strips, gauze, non-adherent sterile pads, first aid tape, anti-bacterial ointment, burn cream, aspirin or pain reliever, eye wash, hand wipes, hand sanitizer, cotton balls, alcohol swabs, iodine, scissors and tweezers, safety pins, needles, chemical ice pack, as well as hand warmer packets and a pocket knife (which I don’t think are standard first aid pack gear).

Last Important Tips:

Rotate your food supply out periodically, recommended is every six to 12 months. Better than having any loose items, like sunscreen, soap, etc, package all of the like items up into a big ziploc freezer bag so they aren’t loose, and it also keeps any leakage from getting to your other items. Be careful with things like mint gum, which is something I thought sounded like it would be an excellent fit in a go bag, as the mint flavor leaked into pretty much every other food item I had stored. I’m a big fan of extra socks.